For April 9 updates click here.
Below is an archive
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At 11Alive News, our coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit the 11Alive coronavirus page for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about Georgia specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 404-885-7600.
State and federal officials with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are continually monitoring the spread of the virus. They are also working hand-in-hand with the World Health Organization to track the spread around the world and to stop it.
We will continue to track the most important coronavirus elements relating to Georgia on this page. Refresh often for new information.
Key Facts:
- 369 deaths from the novel coronavirus in Georgia
- 10,189 confirmed cases across the state
- Statewide shelter-in-place order in effect until April 13
- Gov. Kemp has ordered all public schools in the state to close through the end of the school year
- Public Health Emergency now in effect until May 13
Wednesday, April 8
Atlanta mayor's order authorizes use of $1.5M to match private philanthropic donation to help with homelessness
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an executive order authorizing the allocation of up to $1.5 million to provide additional individual shelter options for people experiencing homelessness. The city said in a news release that the funding will leverage private and philanthropic dollars to combat the spread of COVID-19.
“There is a critical need for the Atlanta community to step up to protect and provide for our most vulnerable populations,” said Bottoms.
“Our city is blessed with a number of philanthropic partners who have extended helping hands to meet the needs of our community," she said. "Thank you to these partners for going above and beyond to assist the City in bending the curve of this virus, and for remaining among Atlanta’s greatest champions.”
These funds build upon the existing investment of $1 million for people experiencing homelessness. The funds are supporting isolation, testing, and transportation. The city said those funds have been leveraged with other state and federal funding.
Confirmed cases in Georgia surpass 10K
The Georgia Department of Health announced new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. As of 7 p.m., there are 10,189 confirmed cases of the virus and 369 deaths reported.
Of the 10,189 confirmed cases, 1,269 are in Fulton, 1,003 are in Dougherty, 735 are in DeKalb, 601 are in Cobb and 589 are in Gwinnett. For a breakdown by county, view the 11Alive interactive map.
They said 2,082 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
COUNTY - CASES - DEATHS
Fulton 1269 42
Dougherty 1003 62
Dekalb 735 12
Cobb 601 29
Gwinnett 589 18
Clayton 296 11
Hall 234 0
Henry 217 3
Lee 213 14
Bartow 195 12
Carroll 185 4
Sumter 181 5
Cherokee 157 6
Chatham 124 4
Douglas 124 5
Mitchell 116 11
Forsyth 101 2
Houston 99 7
Floyd 97 3
Early 96 5
Terrell 96 9
Muscogee 94 2
Randolph 86 3
Rockdale 86 2
Fayette 85 4
Colquitt 82 5
Clarke 81 9
Coweta 81 2
Richmond 80 3
Newton 67 3
Paulding 67 1
Worth 65 3
Thomas 58 2
Spalding 56 4
Crisp 54 0
Tift 52 1
Bibb 51 1
Columbia 50 0
Lowndes 49 1
Troup 49 3
Barrow 46 3
Coffee 46 2
Ware 43 3
Pierce 39 1
Upson 37 0
Calhoun 35 2
Oconee 33 1
Glynn 32 0
Baldwin 30 1
Dooly 28 1
Laurens 27 0
Walton 27 2
Gordon 26 3
Bryan 25 2
Dawson 23 1
Greene 23 1
Jackson 23 1
Butts 22 0
Decatur 22 0
Polk 22 0
Turner 22 0
Whitfield 21 3
Burke 19 0
Camden 19 0
Effingham 19 1
Peach 19 2
Meriwether 18 0
Mcduffie 17 1
Washington 17 0
Brooks 16 1
Haralson 15 0
Harris 15 0
Lamar 15 0
Stephens 15 0
Liberty 14 0
Bacon 13 0
Clay 13 1
Johnson 13 0
Bulloch 12 0
Monroe 12 1
Morgan 12 0
Murray 12 0
Seminole 12 0
Irwin 11 0
Macon 11 0
White 11 0
Miller 10 0
Pickens 10 2
Pike 10 0
Russell 10 0
Schley 10 1
Baker 9 2
Dodge 9 0
Fannin 9 0
Lumpkin 9 0
Madison 9 1
Pulaski 9 0
Catoosa 8 0
Grady 8 0
Habersham 8 0
Toombs 8 1
Wilkinson 8 0
Appling 7 0
Jenkins 7 1
Jones 7 0
Marion 7 0
Talbot 7 1
Warren 7 0
Ben Hill 6 0
Lincoln 6 0
Rabun 6 0
Telfair 6 0
Brantley 5 1
Emanuel 5 0
Jasper 5 0
Lanier 5 0
Putnam 5 0
Taylor 5 2
Union 5 0
Wilkes 5 0
Atkinson 4 0
Banks 4 0
Berrien 4 0
Candler 4 0
Chattooga 4 1
Cook 4 0
Gilmer 4 0
Jefferson 4 0
Quitman 4 0
Screven 4 0
Stewart 4 0
Walker 4 0
Wayne 4 0
Charlton 3 0
Clinch 3 0
Crawford 3 0
Elbert 3 0
Franklin 3 0
Hart 3 0
Heard 3 1
Mcintosh 3 0
Tattnall 3 0
Webster 3 0
Chattahoochee 2 0
Dade 2 1
Echols 2 0
Oglethorpe 2 1
Towns 2 0
Twiggs 2 0
Wilcox 2 0
Bleckley 1 0
Edgefield 1 0
Hancock 1 0
Jeff Davis 1 0
Long 1 0
Tallapoosa 1 0
Treutlen 1 0
Wheeler 1 0
Unknown 812 6
More national forests in north Georgia close down
The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests said it is temporarily shutting down additional recreation sites on the Blue Ridge and Chattooga River Ranger Districts to protect public health and safety.
“We continually consult leaders in our communities, in order to align with local, state, and federal decisions that protect public health and safety,” said Edward Hunter, Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests’ acting forest supervisor. “We aim to implement the highest standard of public health and safety.”
The move also comes as more commissioners in north Georgia counties raised concerns that more people were flocking to the trails and crowding stores in the area, despite the statewide shelter-in-place order in effect. Some outdoor recreation is accepted during the order.
Effective immediately, the following recreation sites are temporarily shut down:
Union County
Davenport OHV Area
Beasley Knob OHV Area
Lumpkin County
Whissenhunt OHV Area
Dicks Creek Day-Use Area
Towns County
Lake Chatuge Recreation Area and Boat Ramp
Rabun County
Angel Falls Trail
Drive-thru testing to begin in Douglasville
The City of Douglasville announced a drive-thru testing site set to open on Friday. They said Hunter Park has been designated by Cobb & Douglas Public Health as the location.
Hunter Park and all its parking lots will be closed indefinitely to the public starting Thursday, April 9th. Testing is by appointment only. Patients who arrive without a pre-approved number from Cobb & Douglas Public Health, will be turned away.
For more information, call the State of Georgia COVID-19 hotline at (844) 442-2681 or visit the City of Douglasville website at www.DouglasvilleGA.gov.
Statewide shelter-in-place order extended to April 30
Gov. Brian Kemp extended the statewide stay-at-home order until April 30 during a briefing on Wednesday at the State Capitol.
He also suspended all short-term vacation rentals in Georgia. State parks and beaches remain open, despite citizens and commissioners urging him to shut them down.
Gas South commits more than $1M to support COVID-19 relief
Gas South announced Wednesday it will donate more than $1 million this year to support families throughout Georgia and Florida impacted by COVID-19.
They said they will deploy $850,000 of these funds in the month of April.
“The difficulties presented by COVID-19 to our community and nation are unprecedented, and we want to support our neighbors with these donations while encouraging others to join,” said Kevin Greiner, Gas South president and CEO.
Bank of America awards Grady $500,000 to expand COVID-19 testing and capacity
Bank of America awarded Grady Health System $500,000 to expand treatment and testing capacity critically needed to support growing patient numbers amid the coronavirus pandemic, the hospital announced on Wednesday.
The grant will support Grady’s efforts to increase capacity for acute patient care, and to expand in-house testing resources to perform as many as 350 coronavirus tests per day, they said.
“This generous gift from Bank of America directly impacts how we are able to respond to the COVID-19 health crisis and provides critical resources for patient care,” said John Haupert, president and CEO, Grady Health System. “We are most fortunate to have such a committed community partner in this most important effort.”
Confirmed cases in Georgia climb to 9,881 with 362 deaths
The Georgia Department of Health announced new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. As of Noon, there are 9,881 confirmed cases of the virus and 362 deaths reported. This is up from the 9,156 confirmed cases and 348 deaths that they announced on Tuesday evening.
Of the 9,881 confirmed cases, 1,238 are in Fulton, 986 are in Dougherty, 704 are in DeKalb, 587 are in Cobb and 563 are in Gwinnett. In all, there are cases reported in 155 counties (858 cases are listed as unknown counties). For a breakdown by county, view the 11Alive interactive map.
They said 1,980 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
Of the confirmed cases, 1 percent are between the ages of 0-17, while 60 percent are 18-59 years old, 35 percent are over 60 and 4 percent are unknown. 53 percent are female, 44 percent are male and 3 percent are not known.
In total, 35,980 tests were conducted at commercial labs, reporting 9,372 positive cases. At the Department of Public Health Laboratory, 2,807 tests were conducted with 507 positive results.
COUNTY - CASES - DEATHS
Fulton 1238 41
Dougherty 986 61
Dekalb 704 11
Cobb 587 29
Gwinnett 563 15
Clayton 292 11
Hall 227 0
Henry 214 3
Lee 208 15
Bartow 192 12
Carroll 183 4
Sumter 168 5
Cherokee 151 6
Chatham 123 4
Douglas 122 5
Mitchell 107 11
Forsyth 99 2
Early 96 5
Floyd 93 3
Terrell 93 9
Houston 91 7
Rockdale 86 2
Fayette 85 4
Randolph 82 3
Clarke 81 9
Coweta 79 2
Richmond 76 3
Colquitt 70 5
Newton 67 3
Paulding 66 1
Worth 64 3
Muscogee 56 1
Spalding 56 4
Bibb 50 1
Lowndes 49 1
Columbia 48 1
Crisp 48 0
Tift 47 1
Troup 47 3
Coffee 44 2
Barrow 42 3
Thomas 42 2
Ware 42 3
Pierce 35 1
Oconee 33 1
Calhoun 31 1
Glynn 30 0
Decatur 29 0
Upson 29 0
Baldwin 27 1
Dooly 27 1
Bryan 26 2
Gordon 26 3
Laurens 25 0
Walton 25 2
Jackson 23 0
Greene 22 1
Polk 22 0
Dawson 21 1
Whitfield 21 3
Butts 20 0
Turner 20 0
Peach 19 2
Effingham 18 1
Meriwether 18 0
Burke 17 0
Camden 17 0
Haralson 17 0
Washington 17 0
Brooks 16 1
Mcduffie 16 1
Harris 15 0
Lamar 14 0
Liberty 14 0
Stephens 14 0
Clay 13 1
Johnson 13 0
Seminole 13 0
Bacon 12 0
Bulloch 12 0
Miller 12 0
Monroe 12 1
Morgan 12 0
Macon 11 0
Murray 11 0
Pickens 10 2
Pike 10 0
Schley 10 1
White 10 0
Baker 9 2
Dodge 9 0
Fannin 9 0
Irwin 9 0
Lumpkin 9 0
Madison 9 1
Habersham 8 0
Pulaski 8 0
Talbot 8 1
Toombs 8 1
Catoosa 7 0
Jenkins 7 1
Jones 7 0
Appling 6 0
Ben Hill 6 0
Grady 6 0
Lincoln 6 0
Warren 6 0
Brantley 5 1
Emanuel 5 0
Jasper 5 0
Lanier 5 0
Marion 5 0
Putnam 5 0
Rabun 5 0
Taylor 5 2
Wilkes 5 0
Atkinson 4 0
Banks 4 0
Berrien 4 0
Candler 4 0
Chattooga 4 1
Cook 4 0
Gilmer 4 0
Jefferson 4 0
Quitman 4 0
Screven 4 0
Stewart 4 0
Telfair 4 0
Union 4 0
Wayne 4 0
Wilkinson 4 0
Charlton 3 0
Clinch 3 0
Crawford 3 0
Elbert 3 0
Franklin 3 0
Hart 3 0
Heard 3 1
Mcintosh 3 0
Tattnall 3 0
Walker 3 0
Webster 3 0
Chattahoochee 2 0
Dade 2 1
Oglethorpe 2 1
Towns 2 0
Twiggs 2 0
Wilcox 2 0
Bleckley 1 0
Echols 1 0
Hancock 1 0
Jeff Davis 1 0
Long 1 0
Treutlen 1 0
Wheeler 1 0
Unknown 858 6
Public health state of emergency extended to May 13
Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, and House Speaker David Ralston announced plans to extend Georgia’s public health state of emergency through May 13, 2020 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Under state law, the Governor may renew the public health state of emergency, which was otherwise set to expire on April 13, 2020.
Lt. Governor Duncan and Speaker Ralston agree it is necessary for the public health emergency to be renewed and will not be requesting a special legislative session, which was tentatively scheduled for April 15, 2020.
“This measure will allow us to continue to deploy resources to communities in need, lend support to frontline medical providers, and keep preparing as we brace for potential patient surge in our healthcare facilities. We deeply appreciate the hard work of Georgians who are sheltering in place, using social distancing, and helping us flatten the curve. We are in this fight together,” Kemp said.
Fulton County Board of Health announces closings, strict in-office policies
The Fulton County Board of Health announced the closing of five facilities on Wednesday morning to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. A spokesperson said they want to "protect the health and safety of clients and staff." They will also require that all clients seeking service at other locations must wear a mask before coming in and get their temperatures checked. The following facilities are closed to the public:
- Adamsville Regional Health Center
- Center for Health and Rehabilitation
- North Fulton Service Center
- Neighborhood Union Health Center
- Oak Hill Child, Adolescent and Family Health Center
An official for the organization said, "anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed into the building." Anyone refusing to wear a mask or have their temperature taken will not be allowed into the facility, according to the press release.
Things to know this morning
- Mobile clinic to offer drive-thru testing across 10-county area
- Rep. Doug Collins says he's acquired hydroxychloroquine for Georgia
- Dept. of Public Health releases cases and deaths by demographic
- The University of Georgia creates medical face shields
- Arthur Blank, Mercedes-Benz Stadium extend relief efforts for game day staff with $1M fund
- Georgia colleges, universities to continue online classes through summer semesters
- Mayor places new restrictions on Atlanta BeltLine
- Gwinnett Schools transportation staff members test positive
- Kroger to limit the number of customers in-store
MORE CORONAVIRUS HEADLINES: